Wriggle Nightbug (リグル・ナイトバグ,Riguru Naitobagu) is a firefly with the ability to control other insects. She likes using her ability to direct concerted performances for her own amusement, as well as to attack humans who underestimate her significance or the importance of insects in general.

General Information

Wriggle first appeared as the first stageboss and midboss of Imperishable Night. She's classified as a firefly youkai, which is explained as having more survivability because humans are less likely to kill them. However, like other insects, she is weak to fire, cold, fumigation, and insect repellent. As an insect, she forgets about information that's no longer needed. She normally sticks around bushes, clumps of grass, and other places insects normally thrive.

Personality

Wriggle is quick to anger, and seems to take it personally when someone offends insects in any way. She is concerned about the decrease in the amount of insects lately, especially due to insecticide.

Occupation

At one point, Wriggle was in charge of an insect delivery service. However, during the span of time between Aya Shameimaru's article and her interview, she stopped, and forgot all about it.

Ability

Ability to control insects

Wriggle possesses the ability to freely manipulate insects of most varieties, where it's unclear if this power is limited to only certain insects. She is seen manipulating various types of fireflies, as well as moths (which her spell card calls "butterflies"). While individual bugs may be quite weak, this ability can be used to call on entire swarms of them, including poisonous insects like deadly hornets; when she gets serious, she's also able to summon a swarm of harvest mites, insects so small that they are invisible to the naked eye and are the most dangerous bugs, that can bite without detection and infect humans with fatal diseases. In Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, Hieda no Akyuu also describes her as being able to control caterpillars, spiders, crickets, and other insects, so it is likely the type of insect doesn't matter.

Because she often uses this ability to surround herself with bugs, many humans find it unpleasant to confront her. However, while this ability makes her a fearsome opponent for most humans, Wriggle herself is almost harmless, and confronting her while she is alone (i.e. winter, when there are no or few bugs around her) would lead to an easy victory. Moreover, since the insects she controls still have their typical weaknesses, such as cold, fire, fumigation and insecticide, one can greatly weaken her capabilities by exploiting one or more of these weaknesses.

Background Information

Name

Her full name is Wriggle Nightbug (リグル・ナイトバグ). "Wriggle" comes from the English word, which is commonly used to refer to bugs moving along the ground. "Nightbug" is a portmanteau of "night" and "bug"; the meaning is clear, as she is a firefly.

Design

Wriggle has blue eyes, teal hair, and bug-like antennae. She wears a white shirt with stylized short sleeves, a black cape with red lining, which is shaped to resemble insect wings (however, Hieda no Akyuu describes her as having actual wings), and baggy blue knee-length shorts.

According to Akyuu, she looks like an average human aside from the insect appendages, and her childlike appearance is a testament to the fact that insect youkai are no longer equal to oni and tengu in terms of inspiring fear.

Wriggle's Appearances

Games

Imperishable Night

Wriggle's sprite in IN

During the events of Imperishable Night, Wriggle attacks the player characters, thinking they'd be easy targets. However, the pair fights Wriggle off without breaking a sweat.

Literature

In Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red, Wriggle used her manipulation of insects in order to start an "Insects' News Service," which would send large numbers of bugs to make announcements and deliver messages for clients if they supplied plans and a specific time in advance. Wriggle organized the service with the intent of improving the social status of bugs, but soon got tired of it and stopped providing it.

When interviewed later, Wriggle does not remember the service, because insects discard information that is no longer in use.

Insects gather around her. Fireflies can perform their flashing with timed synchronization even in huge swarms, but that is actually because there is a commander like her within them.

Those who carelessly regard her as a mere insect will be easy victims to the swarm of insects. When Wriggle is upset and serious, she summons a swarm of harvest mites which can cause deadly fever to humans.